Safety device for hopper-car doors.



PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

A. GHRISTIANSON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR HOPPER GAR DOORS.

APPLIOATIN FILED NOV. 10l 1908.

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PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

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A. GHRISTIANSON. SAFETY DEVICE POR HOPPER GAR DUORS.

APrLmATIoN rILnD Nov 1o, 190s WITNESSES.

mu ma; L mi UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STAND- ARDSTEEL CAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATIoN orPENNSYLVANIA,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Application filed November l0, 1906. Serial No. 342,842.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, ANDREW CHRISTIAN- SON, a resident of Butler, in thecounty of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Safety Devices for Hopper-Car Doors; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof.-

This invention relates to safety devices for Io the 'doors ofhopper-cars or hopper-bottom gondola cars. l The object of the inventionis to provide a device which is simple of construction, easy ofoperation, which does not interfere with I 5 the ordinary door-operatingmechanism, and which eectively holds the door closed in case the usualdoor-closing vmechanism fails. In all railway-cars provided with swin gdrop-doors, whether arranged horizontal yor zo on an incline, there isalways danger of the door-closing means failing. Usually these doors areclosed by means of a rotating shaft connected to the doors either bymeans of chains, links, or other flexible connectors, 2 5 and the doorsare usually held in closed position by locking the shaft againstrotation. This locking means' is liable to become dislaced or theflexible connectors sometimes reak, in either event permitting the doorsto 3o swing open and discharge the lading.

This Invention is intended to provide additional safety devices whichprevent the doors from swinging open in case any of the foregoingcontingencies arise.

The invention comprises the arrangement of ptarts hereinafter describedand claimed.

the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section throucrh thebottom portion of a hopper-car and s owin my inven- 4o tion ap liedthereto. Fig. 2 is a ongitudinal vertica section of the bottom portionof the car, taken between the center sills; and Fi s. 3 and 4 aresimilar views of a portion of t e mechanism, showing different positionsof 'the door.

In the drawings the invention is shown applied to a hopper-car providedwith hoppers closed by transverse inclined doors, although it is evidentthat it can be ap lied to any 5o form of hopp er-bottom car havin eitherinclined or horizontal doors exten ing either transversely orlongitudinally of the car.

The car shown is provided with center sills 1, which are standard rolledchannel-beams laced with their anges projecting inwardly.

he car side is shown at 2, the inside hoppersheet at 3', the outsidehopper-sheet at 4, the inclined floor-plate at 5, and the transversehood at 6. The doors 7 are hinged to a transverse angle 8, riveted tothe lower edge of the hood-sheets, and the lower edges of said doorswhen closed abut a ainst the bottom edge of the inclined floor-p ate 5in the usual way of one type of hopper-bottom cars.

'lhe doors preferably are arran ed in pairs, one on either side of thecenter sil s, as shown in Fig. 1, the individuals of the air beingconnected by a beam 10 of any preferred construction, that showncomprising two channel-sha ed pressed members placed back to bac-k withone of the flanges of each secured to the doors, as shown in Figs. 2 to4.

The door-closing 'mechanism may be of any desired type, such as windingchains connected to the usual winding-shaft or any of 75 the other usualforms of such mechanism. That shown comprises a link 1 1, connected tothe beam 10 between the center sills and having a hooked end 12, whichis connected by another link 13 to an arm 14 on arotating member 15,mounted between the hoppers and actuated from a transverse shaftextending out to the sides of the car. This is the wellknown Simontondoor-operating mechanism and willbe understood without furtherdescription.

My invention is an additional or' safety device to prevent the doorsfrom falling open in case the door-operating mechanism fails from anycause. This safety device comprises a hook or hooks 1-7, two such hooksbeing shown pivotally mounted in brackets 18, secured to the insidehopper-sheets-between the hoppers, said hooks being arranged to engage adrum 19 on a transverse shaft 20, 95 mounted in suitable bearings 21 onthe beam 10, said shaft extending out to the side of the car and beingthere provided with suitable rotating means, such as the hand-wheel 22.Preferably the drum 19 and hooks 17 are roo provided with interengagingserrated or toothed faces, as shown. The nose of the hook is inclined orrounded, as shown at 24, so that it is automatically lifted to pass thedrum 21 when the door is being closed, as 105 shown in Fig. 4.

. fully closed the serrated faces of the drum and hooks are not inengagement, as seen in Fig. 2 so that the hook can drop down so as to bein the path ofthe drum when the latter swings open. Should thedoor-closing mechanism fail 'for any reason, either Whollyl or partly,the door will fall back until the drum 19 engages the hook, as seen inFig. 3, and in this position is securely held so as to revent` dischargeof the lading. In o enmg the door the same thing'occurs, -an to permitthe door to swing fully open it is necessary to operate the hand-Wheel20, thus rotating the drum 19 and through the toothed engagement of thesame Withthe hook lifting the latter until it clears the drum, thuspermit,- ting the door to swing fully open.

The mechanism described 1s simple of construction and can be applied t0various types of hopper-bottom cars and without interfering with theusual door-operating mechanism. It acts automatically on the closing ofthe door and etectually prevents the doors from opening incase offailure of the door# closing mechanism.

What I claim is-.

y 1. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closingmechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a movable latch, anda movable member in position to bev engaged by the latch andtherethrough` hold the door closed and arranged, when moved, to releasesaid. latch.

2. A railway-car provided witha swinging bottom door, closing mechanismfor said door, a safety device comprising a latch movably mounted on thebody, and a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by thelatch when the door is closed and arranged When moved to release saidlatch.

' 3. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closingmechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a latch movably-mounted on the body, and a movable member on the door in position to beengaged by the latch and arranged when moved to release the latch, saidmovable member and latch being provided with interengaging connections.

4. A railway-car provided With a swingingl bottom door, closingmechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a latch movablymounted on the body, a movable member on the door in position to beengaged by the latch when the door is closed and arranged When moved t0release the latch, said movable member and latch being provided withtoothed or serrated engaging faces.

5. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closing mechanismfor said door, a safety device comprising a hook pivoted to the body,and a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by the hookand arranged when moved to disengage the hook.l v

6. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door", closing`mechanism ,for said door, a safety device comprising a hook pivotallymounted on the body and a rotatable member on the door in position to beengaged by the hookwhen the door is closed, said rotatable member andhook being provided with toothed or serrated engagingfaces.

7. A railway-car rovided With a swinging bottom door, a sha t rotatablymounted on the door, closing mechanism for said door, and a safety-hookpivoted on the car-body in position to engage the shaft when the door?is closed, said vhook and shaft beingprovided with interengagingconnections.

4 8. A railway-'car provided with center sills,

a'hopper on either side ofthe sills, transverse doors for said hoppers,door-closing mechanism, a safety device comprising a hook pivotallyconnect-ed to the 'body'between the hoppers, and a shaft mounted on thedoor trar's- A versely von the car and having a serrated member in hookwhen t 'e door' is closed and provided at its outer end with rotatingmeans.

In testimony whereof I, the said ANDREW CHRIs'rIANsoN, have hereunto setmy hand.

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON.

rosition to ,be 'engaged by the

